A Russian general who was responsible for the missile strike on the Skovoroda Museum will stand trial in Ukraine
A Russian lieutenant general has been charged with ordering a missile strike on the Hryhorii Skovoroda National Literary and Memorial Museum in the Kharkiv region. As a result of the attack on May 6, 2022, the building sustained significant damage, and a civilian guarding the museum was injured.
According to the investigation, the suspect is a native of Chuguev in the Kharkiv region who served as commander of the 6th Army of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Western Military District of the Russian Armed Forces.
Investigators believe that the lieutenant general acted in collusion with others and deliberately targeted a Ukrainian cultural heritage site protected by international humanitarian law.
According to law enforcement, the Russian commander knew for certain that the museum was not a military facility. Nevertheless, no later than May 6, 2022, he issued a combat order to the commander of the subordinate 105th Aviation Division to launch a missile strike on the museum.
Investigators traced the chain of command: from the army commander, through the aviation division commander, to the commander of the fighter aviation regiment. Indictments against the latter two military personnel have already been filed with the court.
On May 6, 2022, at 11:30 p.m., a Russian Su-35S fighter jet flying in the airspace over the Kharkiv region fired an Kh-35 anti-ship missile at the museum in the village of Skovorodynivka.
The strike hit an historic 18th-century estate where the Ukrainian philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda spent the last years of his life. He was originally buried next to the building.
As a result of the attack, a civilian who had remained to guard the museum was injured.
The missile strike caused significant damage. The building’s roof and floors were completely destroyed, and the walls, window and door openings, utility systems, and part of the museum’s exhibits were damaged.
The building is currently in a state of disrepair, making its safe operation impossible.
According to the investigation, the strike was deliberate and intended to destroy a site of significant cultural value to the Ukrainian people.
On October 23, 2026, prosecutors from the Office of the Prosecutor General approved an indictment against a Russian lieutenant general. He is accused of violating the laws and customs of war, committed by a group of individuals acting in concert—under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The pretrial investigation was conducted by investigators from the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine.
If found guilty, the defendant faces 8 to 12 years in prison.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, as of September 2026, 2,161 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed as a result of actions by Russian military forces.
Among them are 104 sites located in areas included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Specifically, 44 are located in Odesa, 58 in Lviv, one in Kyiv, and another on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Prior to this, prosecutors from the Brovary District Prosecutor’s Office in Kyiv Oblast filed an indictment against two Russian military personnel. They are accused of cruel treatment of civilians and other violations of the laws and customs of war during the occupation of Kyiv Oblast.
The owner of an international grain trading company—an oligarch of Russian origin—will also stand trial. He is accused of organizing a scheme to seize grain from PJSC “State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine” (SFGCU) on an exceptionally large scale.
